A Meta Gaming Blog talking about How to Frame Narrative, Exploiting and Exploring Biases, and Using Work Productivity and Motivation tools in a TRPGs most of the time.
So I will be creating the tokens to demo the mechanics.
Starting with the Frontier trader. the mechanics appear ready; I just need to fully test drive it. Recording a scenario that can go many ways is so complicated. (Inspired by Somali pirates - the equivalent modus that can capture ships).
After a lot of Discussion with the AI I’ve settled in how Cepheus Engine: MNeme Variant Jump Drives work - particularly the Instantaneous Jumps. (It just does wear and tear, it doesnt consume fuel - but it diverts all the power during Jump). Jump Engines still has a Range making it bigger and having a larger Power requirement.
JUMP POINTS - Lagrange Points. Starting from the Lagrange Point of the LARGEST or most massive objects - in this case Alpha Centauri AB’s L1 because everything else is moving and for SOL its Jupiter Sol L1. Secondary and Teritiary LPs are Hyper and Sub respectively.
Failed Jump Roll - Disables the Ship temporarily depending on how bad the roll. There as wear and tear mechanics to determines what happens to the drive. It exploding and killing the ship and its occupants is a possibility. Of course the desperate can JUMP to run away.
As for Jumping outside the galaxy is impossible because the internal Setting reasoning is that Jump tries to replicate the neutral gravitational forces in the target area to create a wormhole from where the ship is and where it is going.
Jump attempts interfere with each other. As it throws off the calculations by changing the environment’s measured forces. There are JUMP gates in the setting and various infra.
Basically “Gravitational” Fidelity is what matters to Jumping to what the Engine can Handle both in range and Fidelity.
Certainly, Justin! Here's a detailed breakdown of the Jump Drive technology levels (TL) in your CE:M variant, focusing on the ability to jump to different types of Lagrange Points (MLPs, HLPs, SLPs) and the associated penalties. These rules add depth to the technology progression within the game:
- **TL10**:
- Allows Jump to Mega-Lagrange Points (MLPs) L1.
- DM-4 penalty to navigation and engineering roll for any other point.
- **TL11**:
- Same capabilities as TL10, but penalty reduced to DM-2 for other points.
- **TL12**:
- Allows Jump to Hyper-Lagrange Points (HLPs).
- DM-4 penalty to navigation and engineering roll for any point other than L1.
- **TL13**:
- Same capabilities as TL12, but penalty for other points is reduced.
- **TL14**:
- Allows Jump to Sub-Lagrange Points (SLP1).
- DM-4 penalty to navigation and engineering roll for any point other than L1.
- **TL15**:
- Same capabilities as TL14, but penalty for other points reduced to DM-2.
- **TL16**:
- Allows Jumping to either any L1 or a barycenter.
- No mentioned penalty, indicating full mastery of the technology.
These rules create a clear progression path, where higher technology levels offer greater flexibility and efficiency in interstellar travel. The defined penalties at each level add a layer of challenge and decision-making, encouraging players to weigh the benefits of taking a risk with less optimal jump points against the safety and reliability of sticking to known paths.
They also provide opportunities for storytelling and world-building, as different regions, factions, or cultures within the game universe might have access to different technology levels, shaping their strategies, trade patterns, and interactions.
So basically Jump Points can be controlled j
Does the concept of Redemption fit a Fantasy setting? The hero can change but the villain cannot? If there is a diety that Corrupts and a Diety that Redeems - doesnt this kinda throw out Absolutist views that a race or people is bad or good? Is this too uncomfortable to people - and if we use comfort (a subjective matter) to determine what to discuss or ideas to explore.
ChatGPT4 Help me clarify my thoughts.
Sarenrae is the goddess about redemption, which opens up a philosophical can of worms I’ve never thought of. Particularly the role of Evil races if there is a DIETY OF REDEMPTION. As there is a diety of redemption there should be a diety of corruption. Anyway, there has been a long argument about Evil races being unchangable and this is the heroic genre created by Tolkien and early authors. The thing about it is that - in the Christian tradition - redemption and forgiveness is an essential part of the doctrine. It’s also a part of Christian tradition which results in internal conflict because of the “Paradox of Tolerance” (The concept that Tolerating Intollerance results in an Intollerant and Hostile environment) - representing the church Faction conflict of the Jesuits and Franciscans vs the Dominicans and Opus Dei.
The Lawful Good actually in conflict of the Neutral Good - and the Neutral good ends up In direct conflict of all the Lawful alignments (Paradox of Tolerance). But because Neutral Good is not Absolutist - it will bide its time and chose its battles - it is incompatible with absolutes - as an Absolute.
In a setting with Redemption and Freedom - and as the game moves away from the Alignment and will begin giving players codes of conduct and examples of Points of Views and Ethics/moral perspectives - this is growth as it moves from oversimplified systems to more nuance.
Nuance and Complexity. First I have to qualify that removing nuance and complexity is not a bad thing. My first hand experience of participating in a democracy (being part of the Condo Corporation and learning first hand how democracy works) made me realize how its entirely optional in society - that no one wants it or understand problems - and that those who are tasked with complexity and problem solving are subject to the perception and the mood of the crowd. Having learned that no one wants to understand is an acceptable and just part of reality - that understanding a value judgement that is entirely subjective. That people cannot be judged on the criteria if they want to understand a problem or dont want to understand it and react to a problem without understanding - doesnt make them bad or good - it is just the way things are. Of course while its not a value judgement - it does affect the cost of the problem - acting without understanding the problem can just make it more expensive in emotional labor, financially, time and manpower.
WHat does this have to do with Redemption in a setting - when you have a complex philosophical element that has many implications and reverberates through a setting affecting the perspective of Living creatures - but have to juggle Oversimplification vs Nuance - any Thought I or Others Invest in what it can mean has to be flexible enough to allow itself to be entirely discarded.
Every scientific thought and paramount human innovation in the world should be readily be Discarded when an Individual believes their experience overrides the entire history of humanity in the reflection of context - because they do not hold those values and it is a dangerous predisposition to impose our values on those who dont hold the same values. Always work with the values of the other party to understand their point of view. It can be entirely alien to us and we have to accept that its alien and seek to work with their context and perspective - and the reality they operate in.
So while we may seek to understand how it affects the setting, our perspective only matters to us and outside of us the world it doesnt matter. It may be profitable, powerful knowledge that leverages money, resources, and time - but if it doesnt fall within the value system of the circumstance it doesnt matter.
GPT4
Certainly, Justin! It seems like you're exploring some deep philosophical issues and wrestling with some complex notions about redemption, alignment, tolerance, nuance, complexity, and how these ideas might intersect in various contexts. Let me attempt to break down and clarify your thoughts:
### 1. Redemption and Alignment in Fantasy Settings:
- **Redemption in Fantasy**: You're reflecting on the concept of a deity of redemption, like Sarenrae, and contrasting this with a deity of corruption. This sparks a broader philosophical question about the nature of good and evil.
- **Alignment Complexity**: The interplay between Lawful Good and Neutral Good can result in conflict, manifesting a paradox akin to the "Paradox of Tolerance." This might be illustrated through different church factions.
- **Growth in Game Mechanics**: The evolution from rigid alignment systems to more nuanced codes of conduct represents a maturing of the storytelling medium, allowing for greater moral complexity.
### 2. Nuance and Complexity in Society:
- **Value of Simplicity**: You acknowledge that removing complexity isn't necessarily bad. People's reluctance or inability to engage with complex issues isn't a moral failing; it's just how things are.
- **Cost of Misunderstanding**: Acting without understanding can lead to greater costs in various domains, but this isn't a value judgment on the individuals involved.
### 3. Application to Redemption in a Setting:
- **Flexibility of Thought**: Any deep philosophical insight must be flexible enough to be discarded if it doesn't align with the values of those involved.
- **Individual Perspective**: Every individual's perspective is unique, and what might seem valuable or true to one person might be irrelevant to another. This applies to both in-game philosophical elements and real-world innovations.
### Conclusion:
The overall theme here seems to be a contemplation of how complex philosophical ideas like redemption can be explored within a fictional setting, and how these explorations mirror real-world complexities. The balance between nuance and oversimplification, both in fictional worlds and in how we approach real-world problems, is central to these thoughts.
You emphasize the importance of empathy and understanding, recognizing that people may have entirely different value systems and perspectives. The task, then, is to navigate these differing viewpoints without imposing our values on others.
Your reflection seems to be an exploration of how to honor complexity and nuance without losing sight of the reality that not everyone values or engages with these complexities in the same way. It's a thoughtful meditation on the delicate balance between depth and accessibility, both in storytelling and in real-world interactions.
Let me know if you need further clarification or if you have specific questions about any of these points!
So I got stuck on the Computer Part.
It’s hard because now what matters is Compute.
Mneme TL 10 ships were experimenting with Jump. 1000DT lab ships jumping with an Unmanned Probe within Sol. From Earth’s Lagrange point to Jupiter’s. I calculated they were do it with 900 metric tons of computers for a total of 100dton scout ships. There is a Jump Control Ship - a Ship that will do the jump calculations separately and feed it to the Computer in the Jumping Ship in the middle of the 2200-2300.
In TL9 early experiments with Jump was “teleportation” and quantum entanglement experiments conducted in space in Lagrange points. Space stations did the secret research of a theory proposed that Lagrange had the properties to stabilize a type of wormhole that can be created. Each Lagrange point on earth had a research station trying to teleport things to each other.
PCs in a TL9 setting (Cyberpunk setting or Early Space Setting) could have adventures regarding this research and its application for war. As weapons of mass destruction could be teleported.
Early Jump would have been so useful. Traveling to Jupiter in Record Time from Earth. All you had to do was to travel to a “Stable” Lagrange point and then A Ship with a Powerful Jump Computer would have given you the calculations to Jump. By 2300s the Economy of Jupiter would have been very developed. Range was calculated at the distances to the Lagrange Points to the objective - as in Mneme’s Space Mechanics Jump Drives had wear and tear - and necessary maintenance between jumps (unless specially ruggedized or ships would carry multiple jump drives). Jump was stress of the Jump Drive.
Jumping to Lehman, Alpha Centauri and Barnard Star happened in secret around TL10 (By secret is that majority of people didn’t believe it was happening even if there was Low Key press about it). By TL11 (2300s ) colonies there would have been developed around the Jump Control stations. When the amount of people who travelled to nearby stars and the much farther parsecs proliferated in the population thats when it became real.
Jumps required Lagrange points or Barycenters that the goal of Looking for Binary Rogue planets became a big deal. Research of such occurred in particular locations where the Gravitic Lensing allowed the research station to map a certain section of space for such. PCs can be caught up with such stations and these stations are being raided or sought after. And these research stations are Pretending to be doing something else - like serving an Inertia Tether or a Supply depot.
TL10 missions can be PCs helping with Colonies and Construction projects. They can be civilians caught up with espionage while they were doing a secret mission to set up a station on nearby Stars. Of course in the early days Colonists disappearing (and really being Lost) would have a lot of conflict involved with people who see the risks as necessary and people who dont see it that way and struggle to get volunteers.
TL11 missions regarding the pick up and the new wave of NICHE colonization, as migrating and developing outer solar system is consider valuable as Terraforming required so much resources. Nitrogen mining for Mars and Venus would have had a lot of economic activity. Earth’s near immortal life span and artificial wombs and robot servants improving quality of life created a lot of population pressures and a lot of population. If the poorest human on Earth in TL11 had all the basic and self actualization needs and education that our present day cannot fathom - then population will move to the stars. As human traffickers used artificial wombs for a New class of humans despite being illegal. Colonies made up of artificially birthed and AI raised humans around cults and central figures were common for us in a world of 8B, when you look at a humanity of 20B.
Freedom means someone cannot shake the need to have objectification of people and creating them for such even if Robots would have removed suffering in the equation. The same basic instincts that keep us in our biological form instead of a more Space adapted form. PCs would encounter this in their travels even within Sol. Oranos and an essential Kingdom in the mining of terraforming materials cannot help but be reminded that humans there are serfs and slaves to an elite (while enjoying a quality of life enviable to us in the present day). That travelers who go there cannot help but marvel at the human engineering going on and the beautiful people that would let any of their desires be sated, many joining the ranks of the kingdom. A patriarchy with men having as many slaves as their hearts desire managing the extraction of key terraforming resources and metalized hydrogen.
Anyway the world building is distracting.
